- Table View
- List View
Close to Death: A Novel (A Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery #5)
by Anthony HorowitzIn New York Times–bestselling author Anthony Horowitz’s ingenious fifth literary whodunit in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series, Detective Hawthorne is once again called upon to solve an unsolvable case—a gruesome murder in an idyllic gated community in which suspects aboundRiverside Close is a picture-perfect community. The six exclusive and attractive houses are tucked far away from the noise and grime of city life, allowing the residents to enjoy beautiful gardens, pleasant birdsong and tranquility from behind the security of a locked gate.It is the perfect idyll until the Kentworthy family arrives, with their four giant, gas-guzzling cars, a gaggle of shrieking children and plans for a garish swimming pool in the backyard. Obvious outsiders, the Kentworthys do not belong in Riverside Close, and they quickly offend every last one of their neighbours.When Giles Kentworthy is found dead on his own doorstep, a crossbow bolt sticking out of his chest, Detective Hawthorne is the only investigator that can be called on to solve the case.Because how do you solve a murder when everyone is a suspect?
Close to Death: A Novel (A Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery #5)
by Anthony HorowitzIn New York Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz’s ingenious fifth literary whodunnit in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series, Detective Hawthorne is once again called upon to solve an unsolvable case—a gruesome murder in an idyllic gated community in which suspects abound.Riverside Close is a picture-perfect community. The six exclusive and attractive houses are tucked far away from the noise and grime of city life, allowing the residents to enjoy beautiful gardens, pleasant birdsong, and tranquility from behind the security of a locked gate.It is the perfect idyll, until the Kentworthy family arrives, with their four giant, gas-guzzling cars, gaggle of shrieking children, and plans for a garish swimming pool in the backyard. Obvious outsiders, the Kentworthys do not belong in Riverside Close, and quickly offend every last one of the neighbors.When Giles Kentworthy is found dead on his own doorstep, a crossbow bolt sticking out of his chest, Detective Hawthorne is the only investigator they can call to solve the case.Because how do you solve a murder when everyone is a suspect?
Cook Simply, Live Fully: Flexible, Flavorful Recipes for Any Mood
by Yasmin FahrFrom New York Times Cooking contributor Yasmin Fahr comes a guide to tackling weeknight dinner, with simple, delicious recipes that suit the needs of even the busiest home cooks.What’s for dinner? It’s a question we ask ourselves most nights—pressed for time or groceries, searching through the fridge for inspiration. Dinner can be a time to unwind and connect with family or friends, but it can also feel like a chore.Recipe developer and cookbook author Yasmin Fahr gets it, and is here to help readers create nourishing meals even when real life seems to have other plans. In Cook Simply, Live Fully she offers 120 recipes for taking the grind out of dinnertime, with dishes that span the range of “too tired to chop vegetables” to “up for a challenge but please make it snappy.”Yasmin’s approach is all about simplicity and flavor while keeping things nutritious and vegetable-forward. Cook Simply, Live Fully is organized into three progressive sections based on energy level and mood. Lap Dinners includes low effort/high reward hits such as Sheet Pan Asparagus with Tomatoes, Eggs, + Feta. Readers can take things up a notch in Coffee Table Dinners with satisfying dishes that require a little more prep work, like Roasted Chicken Thighs with Grapes, Feta + Mint. At the Dinner Table is for those days when time and energy are not at a premium, or when entertaining is on the menu, including Roasted Mustard Salmon with Hint-of-Mint Escarole Salad with a side of Blistered Olive + Asparagus Salad with Feta + Turmeric-Stained Onions (with suggested wine pairings!).Yasmin’s recipes are designed to teach readers how to become better, more intuitive cooks, and are open to creative substitutions (and some trial and error). Throughout, she shows readers how to transform the familiar by creating new pairings and flavor combinations that will inspire endless iterations—all while keeping prep and cleanup time to a minimum. An inviting, beautifully styled cookbook featuring 75 full-color photographs, Cook Simply, Live Fully is the answer to the most difficult question home cooks face every day, and is sure to become a trusted resource for years to come.
Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder
by Asako YuzukiA highly fresh and original novel following a journalist in contemporary Japan as she investigates a serial killer convicted of luring wealthy men in with her cooking classes only to seduce, murder, and rob them, and a gripping exploration of misogyny, obsession, and the pleasures and pressures of foodJournalist Rika Machida is facing an unusual assignment: she is tapped to investigate serial killer Manako Kajii, notorious for drawing rich men in with her pricey cooking classes, only to murder them and move on to the next. Kajii refuses to cooperate with the press until Rika writes her a letter asking for her beef stew recipe, a correspondence and ongoing series of conversations between the two women that sees Rika transforming as she becomes closer to Kajii, taking on some of her confidence and strength but also some of her deadly intention. Game on. Set in 2011, when dairy product shortages across Japan made butter a hot commodity, Butter depicts a vivid, panoramic view of contemporary Japan as seen through a diverse cast of Japanese women. An endlessly entertaining and sharply insightful look at the relationships between women and how they engage and challenge one another, revealing the many contradictions and complexities in the process, Asako Yuzuki’s novel is filled with intoxicating descriptions of food and the body that also looks deeply at its connection to the sinister, criminal, and taboo, its enduring power and delight.
Adventures with Finn and Skip: Arctic (Adventures with Finn and Skip )
by Brendan KearneyFrom award-winning author Brendan Kearney comes the fifth action-packed adventure for Finn and his dog, Skip, that teaches them all about the Arctic and what they can do to protect it.A trip to the Arctic sounds like a winter wonderland dream for Finn and Skip! As they journey to their icy destination through melting ice caps and past hungry polar bears, they soon realize that things are not as they had imagined. Things go from bad to worse when they find themselves floating away on an iceberg! Can they find their way back and uncover what's happening? Offering a gentle, but richly imagined introduction to the environmental concerns facing the Arctic, grown-ups and children will enjoy following the story of Finn and Skip, with its ups and downs, and together, pointing out all the different ways they can help look after one of our planet's most precious environments. With its fun, quirky illustrations and uplifting message about conservation, Adventures with Finn and Skip: Arctic will empower young readers and will leave them with the thought that there is hope after all.
DK Super Readers Pre-Level A Bear's Tale (DK Super Readers)
by DKHelp your child power up their reading skills and learn all about bears with this fun-filled nonfiction reader – carefully leveled to help children progress.A Bear’s Tale is a beautifully designed reader retelling some traditional stories about bears in America’s Pacific Northwest. The engaging text has been carefully leveled using Lexile so that children are set up to succeed. A motivating introduction to using essential nonfiction reading skills. Children will love to find out about bears and the stories that have long been told about them.
DK Super Readers Level 4 Journey Through Ellis Island (DK Super Readers)
by DKHelp your child power up their reading skills and learn all about Ellis Island and the people arriving there at the turn of the 20th century with this fact-filled nonfiction reader - carefully leveled to help children progress.Explore the history of the world-famous Ellis Island, and the stories of people traveling through one of the most recognized places in the USA.The engaging text has been carefully leveled using Lexiles so that children are set up to succeed.A motivating introduction to using essential nonfiction reading skills.Children will love to find out about the history of one of the USA's most famous landmarks.
Dinosaurios: 1000 curiosidades increíble (1,000 Amazing Dinosaurs Facts)
by DKDescubre fascinantes datos y curiosidades sobre los animales que habitaron la Tierra hace millones de años y sorprende a tus amigos y familia.¿Sabías que el dinosaurio más grande que ha existido media tanto como cuatro camiones de bomberos uno detrás de otro? ¿O que el más pequeño pesaba menos que una cucharita de azúcar? ¿Quieres saber cuánto medían las alas del reptil volador más grande jamás descubierto? Sumérgete en las páginas de este divertido libro sobre dinosaurios y descubre todo sobre estas criaturas prehistóricas: cuánto medían las garras del Therizinosaurus, qué dinosaurio tenía el cerebro más pequeño, cuál tenía los dientas más afilados y ¡mucho más!El regalo perfecto para saciar el apetito de saber de los niños de un modo divertido: - Contiene más de 1000 curiosidades en formato de pregunta y respuesta.- Escrito de forma clara, con explicaciones entretenidas e impresionantes imágenes generadas por ordenador.- Con estadísticas alucinantes explicadas por medio gráficos y comparaciones visuales para entender los datos de forma fácil.Un divertido libro ilustrado para niños de 9 años o más, repleto de sorpresas y curiosidades alucinantes para que los jóvenes lectores descubran el maravilloso mundo de los dinosaurios.------------------------------------------Astonish your friends and family with this incredible collection of mind-boggling facts about the scariest animals ever to walk the Earth.Did you know that the largest dinosaur was four times longer than a fire engine but its babies were the size of geese? Or that the smallest dinosaur weighed less than a teaspoon of sugar? Or that the largest flying reptile was as tall as a giraffe with wings the size of a fighter jet? This fascinating first dinosaur book for kids is packed with bite-size nuggets of unbelievable information. Find out which dinosaur had the sharpest teeth, the longest claw and the smallest brain.Dive into the pages of this kids dinosaur book to discover: - 1,000 jaw-dropping, mind-blowing facts to wow your family and friends.- Stunning CGI images to convey statistics in an intuitive way that kids can understand.- Factfile spreads are packed with infographics and key facts on all kinds of prehistoric life.- Photo stories feature the world's spectacular fossils, from dinosaur footprints and nests to complete skeletons.- Fun, accessible text written to excite and entertain children and adults alike.Discover the fastest, the slowest, the deadliest, and the downright weirdest dinosaurs ever to roam the planet, in this dinosaur gift book for children aged 9+.
The Met Colors (DK The Met)
by DKLearn your colors at the museum! Little ones can discover the world through art.I went to the museum, and I saw...Featuring objects from Asia, America, and Europe, young readers can learn colors while discovering some of the world's most well-known paintings, textiles, and objects. Developed in collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Met Colors is guaranteed to spark a lifelong love of learning and art appreciation. Each page features a famous artwork from The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection and a number. The fun memory game at the end reinforces learning. It's the baby art book series that grown-ups will love, too.
The Conservative Environmentalist: Common Sense Solutions for a Sustainable Future
by Benji BackerA young, conservative environmentalist provides an intrepid vision for both solving our climate crisis and prioritizing the American national interest.Politicians, pseudo-experts, and other partisans have led us to believe that there are only two approaches to climate change: doomerism or denial. Benji Backer, Founder and Executive Chairman of the American Conservation Coalition, argues that both are dead ends. In The Conservative Environmentalist, he delivers an entirely new strategy to take care of the planet while putting put the economic interest of the American people first. Backer makes the compelling case that conservative principles are the key to climate solutions that actually work. In this book, you&’ll visit the country&’s most diverse ecosystems and consequential manufacturing hubs—from Utah coal mines and Texas oil fields to Louisiana wetlands and Rhode Island offshore wind farms—witnessing the power of individual entrepreneurship and local problem-solving. You&’ll be inspired by groundbreaking efforts to strengthen earth&’s ecosystems (that Green New Dealers and other Big Government advocates would prefer to keep hidden), like partnerships between oil and gas companies and environmental nonprofits to preserve thousands of acres of wetlands. Drawing on cutting-edge science, a deep understanding of local community needs, and his experience rallying politicians on both sides of the aisle to take action, Backer offers hope for everyone who cares about the state of the great outdoors. Fascinating, clear-headed, and full of surprises, The Conservative Environmentalist is the fresh, audacious approach needed to ensure a sustainable future, and particularly one that works for America.
The Spoiled Heart: A Novel
by Sunjeev Sahota&“The Spoiled Heart confirms Sunjeev Sahota's position as one of our essential novelists.&” —Karan Mahajan, author of the National Book Award Finalist The Association of Small BombsA brilliant and riveting story of ambition, love, family secrets, and unintended consequences, from &“bold storyteller&” (The New Yorker) and two-time Booker Prize nominee Sunjeev SahotaNayan Olak keeps seeing Helen Fletcher around town. She&’s returned with her teenage son to live in the run-down house at the end of the lane, and—though she&’s strangely guarded—Nayan can&’t help but be drawn to her. He hasn&’t risked love since losing his young family in a terrible accident twenty years earlier.In the wake of the tragedy, Nayan&’s labor union, long a cornerstone of his community, became the center of his life: a way for him to channel his energies into making the world a better—fairer, as he sees it—place. Now, he&’s decided to mount a run for the leadership. But his campaign pits him against a newcomer, Megha, who quickly proves to be a more formidable challenger than he anticipated.As Nayan&’s differences with Megha spin out of control, complicating the ideals he&’s always held dear, he grows closer to Helen—and unknowingly barrels toward long-held secrets about how their pasts might be connected. Suddenly, much more is threatened than his chances of winning.In one sense a tragedy in the classic mold, tracing one man&’s seemingly inexorable fall, The Spoiled Heart is also an explosively contemporary story of how a few words or a single action—to one person careless, to another, charged—can trigger a cascade of unimaginable consequences. A vivid and multi-layered exploration of the mysteries of the heart, how community is forged and broken, and the shattering impact of secrets and assumptions alike, it is a blazing achievement from one of Britain&’s foremost living writers.
Pretty Furious
by E.K. Johnston#1 NYT Bestseller E.K. Johnston returns to contemporary feminist YA. This story of a small town, fierce friendships, and revenge served cold is a perfect companion to Exit, Pursued by a Bear.In the small town of Eganston, Ontario, five good girls have had enough. They&’ve experienced the best of what their community has to offer, but they&’ve seen the darker side too. Together, they&’ve decided that it&’s time for a reckoning and that justice is their privilege to give.
A Maleta Full of Treasures
by Natalia SylvesterFrom an award-winning author and illustrator, a warm, gentle ode to cherished visits from grandparents and the people and places that make us who we are even if we haven&’t met them yet.It&’s been three years since Abuela&’s last visit, and Dulce revels in every tiny detail—from Abuela&’s maletas full of candies in crinkly wrappers and gifts from primos to the sweet, earthy smell of Peru that floats out of Abuela&’s room and down the hall. But Abuela&’s visit can&’t last forever, and all too soon she&’s packing her suitcases again. Then Dulce has an idea: maybe there are things she can gather for her cousins and send with Abuela to remind them of the U.S. relatives they&’ve never met. And despite having to say goodbye, Abuela has one more surprise for Dulce—something to help her remember that home isn&’t just a place, but the deep-rooted love they share no matter the distance.
Ghost Stories: On Writing Biography (Footprints Series #29)
by Judith AdamsonA biographer is, in a sense, the ghostwriter of someone else’s life, trying to keep out of the way but inevitably leaving an imprint and being changed in the enterprise. In her memoir Judith Adamson, a professional biographer, tells the ghost’s side of the story.Adamson reveals the questions she asked herself as she researched and wrote, as well as the personal challenges she faced in producing a lively sense of the figure she was recreating on the page, drawing an unbreakable connection between the personal and the professional. Crossing paths with literary luminaries of the twentieth century, she went on to collaborate with Graham Greene on Reflections, the last of his books published in his lifetime. She recounts how she was entrusted with the publication of Leonard Woolf and Trekkie Ritchie’s love letters; how she found a way to hunt down Charlotte Haldane, one of the first women on Fleet Street; and how she came to write the biography of Max Reinhardt, the man behind the finest English publishing house of the mid-twentieth century.A sharply observant and self-effacing narrator, Adamson brings vividly to life an anglophone upbringing in mid-century Montreal, the London literary scene, and the struggles faced by the women intellectuals of her time. Ghost Stories is a tale of good luck and the hard sleuthing of biographical work before the digital age.
Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit: A Novel
by Nadine Sander-GreenA woman’s coming-of-age through a toxic relationship, isolation, and betrayal—set against the stark landscape of the far north. Millicent is a shy, 24-year-old reporter who moves to Whitehorse to work for a failing daily newspaper. With winter looming and the Yukon descending into darkness, Millicent begins a relationship with Pascal, an eccentric and charming middle-aged filmmaker who lives on a converted school bus in a Walmart parking lot. What begins as a romantic adventure soon turns toxic, and Millicent finds herself struggling not to lose herself and her voice. Events come to a head at Thaw di Gras, a celebration in faraway Dawson City marking the return of light to the north. It’s here, in a frontier mining town filled with drunken tourists, eclectic locals, and sparkling burlesque dancers, that Millicent must choose between staying with Pascal or finally standing up to her abuser. In the style of Ottessa Moshfegh’s honest exploration of dysfunctional relationships, and with the warmth and energy of Heather O’Neill, Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit illuminates what it’s like to be young, impulsive, and in love in one of the harshest environments in the world.
Urban Refugees and Digital Technology: Reshaping Social, Political, and Economic Networks (McGill-Queen's Refugee and Forced Migration Studies)
by Charles Martin-ShieldsRefugees and displaced people are increasingly moving to cities around the world, seeking out the social, economic, and political opportunity that urban areas provide. Against this backdrop digital technologies are fundamentally changing how refugees and displaced people engage with urban landscapes and economies where they settle.Urban Refugees and Digital Technology draws on contemporary data gathered from refugee communities in Bogotá, Nairobi, and Kuala Lumpur to build a new theoretical understanding of how technological change influences the ways urban refugees contribute to the social, economic, and political networks in their cities of arrival. This data is presented against the broader history of technological change in urban areas since the start of industrialization, showing how displaced people across time have used technologized urban spaces to shape the societies where they settle. The case studies and history demonstrate how refugees’ interactions with environments that are often hostile to their presence spur novel adaptations to idiosyncratic features of a city’s technological landscape.A wide-ranging study across histories and geographies of urban displacement, Urban Refugees and Digital Technology introduces readers to the myriad ways technological change creates spaces for urban refugees to build rich political, social, and economic lives in cities.
Corporate Innovator: A Guide Through the Labyrinth
by William DugganInnovation is a top priority for all kinds of organizations, of all sizes and shapes, throughout the world. But innovation doesn’t happen only at the executive level. People within an organization come up with great ideas that can propel the company forward. All too often, however, would-be innovators find that the organization is unreceptive to their new ideas. They are stymied by bureaucracy, power dynamics, or countless other barriers to innovation. They find themselves lost in a labyrinth that blocks them everywhere they turn.William Duggan—a leading expert on innovation and strategic thinking—offers a guide to navigating the maze from idea to implementation. He provides practical advice on communicating new ideas effectively, getting buy-in from others, winning allies, and overcoming resistance or outright opposition to innovation. Duggan focuses on the strategy and tactics of building support within the organization, exploring the crucial takeaways from research in psychology about how people react to new ideas. This book includes a series of interviews with successful corporate innovators as well as analysis of historical cases that combine lively storytelling with actionable insights. For anyone in an organization who has been frustrated with the lack of innovation, Corporate Innovator delivers an essential roadmap for going from idea to action.
Challenging Modernity
by Robert N. BellahFrom the 1960s until his death in 2013, Robert N. Bellah was the preeminent figure in the study of religion and society. He broke new ground in mapping the religious dimensions of human experience, from the great breakthroughs of the first millennium BCE to the paradoxes of American civic life. In three final essays, published here for the first time, Bellah grapples with the contradictions of modernity, and seven leading thinkers respond with profound, exhilarating new perspectives on our present predicament.Challenging Modernity critically assesses the modern project to shed light on the tensions between its transcendent aspirations and the perils we now face. Its contributors analyze the roots of the collapse of the political, economic, and cultural institutions that promised perpetual progress but now threaten global catastrophe. Reflecting the range of Bellah’s scholarship, they span the disciplines of history, sociology, anthropology, and philosophy. They extend Bellah’s insight that only deep historical, cultural, and religious understanding can help us meet modernity’s harrowing challenges by sharing responsibility for the global interdependence of our common fate.
Rapture (No Limits)
by Christopher HamiltonWhat is it like to experience rapture? For philosopher Christopher Hamilton, it is a loss of self that is also a return to self—an overflowing and emptying out of the self that also nourishes and fills the self. In this inviting book, he reflects on the nature of rapture and its crucial yet unacknowledged place in our lives.Hamilton explores moments of rapture in everyday existence and aesthetic experience, tracing its disruptive power and illuminating its philosophical significance. Rapture is found in sexual love and other forms of intense physical experience, such as Philippe Petit’s nerve-defying wire walk between the Twin Towers. Hamilton also locates it in quieter but equally joyous moments, such as contemplating a work of art or the natural world. He considers a range of examples in philosophy and culture—Nietzsche and Weil, Woolf and Chekhov, the extremes of experience in Werner Herzog’s films—as well as aspects of ordinary life, from illness to gardening. Conversational and evocative, this book calls on us to ask how we might make ourselves more open to experiences of rapturous joy and freedom.
Scattered and Fugitive Things: How Black Collectors Created Archives and Remade History (Black Lives in the Diaspora: Past / Present / Future)
by Laura HeltonDuring the first half of the twentieth century, a group of collectors and creators dedicated themselves to documenting the history of African American life. At a time when dominant institutions cast doubt on the value or even the idea of Black history, these bibliophiles, scrapbookers, and librarians created an enduring set of African diasporic archives. In building these institutions and amassing abundant archival material, they also reshaped Black public culture, animating inquiry into the nature and meaning of Black history.Scattered and Fugitive Things tells the stories of these Black collectors, traveling from the parlors of the urban north to HBCU reading rooms and branch libraries in the Jim Crow south. Laura E. Helton chronicles the work of six key figures: bibliophile Arturo Schomburg, scrapbook maker Alexander Gumby, librarians Virginia Lee and Vivian Harsh, curator Dorothy Porter, and historian L. D. Reddick. Drawing on overlooked sources such as book lists and card catalogs, she reveals the risks collectors took to create Black archives. This book also explores the social life of collecting, highlighting the communities that used these collections from the South Side of Chicago to Roanoke, Virginia. In each case, Helton argues, archiving was alive in the present, a site of intellectual experiment, creative abundance, and political possibility. Offering new ways to understand Black intellectual and literary history, Scattered and Fugitive Things reveals Black collecting as a radical critical tradition that reimagines past, present, and future.
The Forgetters: Stories
by Greg SarrisA tender, astonishing, and richly beautiful story cycle about remembering our shared histories and repairing the world."Each tale is a testament to never forgetting that the mountains, the sea, the rivers, animals and humans are all one. Osprey and abalone, wind and child, hummingbird and human—all unforgettable." —Susan Straight, author of MeccaPerched atop Gravity Hill, two crow sisters—Question Woman and Answer Woman—recall stories from dawn to dusk. Question Woman cannot remember a single story except by asking to hear it again, and Answer Woman can tell all the stories but cannot think of them unless she is asked. Together they recount the journeys of the Forgetters, so that we may all remember. Unforgettable characters pass through these pages: a boy who opens the clouds in the sky, a young woman who befriends three enigmatic people who might also be animals, two village leaders who hold a storytelling contest. All are in search of a crucial lesson from the past, one that will help them repair the rifts in their own lives.Told in the classic style of Southern Pomo and Coast Miwok creation stories, this book vaults from the sacred time before this time to the recent present and even the near future. Heralded as a "a fine storyteller" by Joy Harjo, Greg Sarris offers us these tales in a new genre of his own making. The Forgetters is an astonishment—comforting and startling, inspiring reveries and deepening our love of the world we share.
Bitter Water Opera: A Novel
by Nicolette PolekAn electrifying debut novel about art, solitude, family, and faith in a world without itIn 1967, the dancer Marta Becket and her husband were traveling through Death Valley Junction when they came across an abandoned theater. Marta decided it was hers. She painted her ideal audience on its walls and danced her own dances until her death five decades later. In the present day, Gia has ended a relationship and taken a leave from her job in film studies at a university. She is sleeping fifteen hours a night and ignoring calls from her mother. In a library archive, she comes across a photo of Marta Becket and decides to write her a letter. Soon Marta magically appears in her home. Gia hopes Marta Becket will guide her out of her despair. But is Marta—the example of her single-minded, solitary life—enough? Through precise, vivid vignettes, Bitter Water Opera follows Gia as she resists the urge to escape into herself and struggles to form a lasting connection to the world. Her search has her reckoning with a set of terrifying charcoal drawings on her garage walls, a corpse in the middle of a pond, a crooked pear sapling, and other mysterious entities before bringing her to Marta’s theater, the Amargosa Opera House. There in the desert, Gia finds one answer.In this brief, astonishing novel, Nicolette Polek describes an individual awakening to faith while exploring our deepest existential questions. How do we look beyond ourselves? Where do words go? What is art for?
Negative Space: A Novel
by Gillian LindenA gem of a debut novel about a young mother navigating the instabilities of teaching, parenting, and marriage in the wake of the pandemic. With deadpan humor and a keen eye for the strangeness of our days, Negative Space follows a week in the life of an English teacher at a New York private school. At home, her two children, increasingly restless, ask constant questions about mortality and find hidden wisdom in the cartoons they watch on television. Her husband tends to his plants and offers occasional counsel between Zoom calls to Hong Kong and Australia. And at school, as she navigates the currents between wealthy, increasingly disconnected students and bewildered faculty, she accidentally witnesses an ambiguous, possibly inappropriate interaction between a teacher and a student.… She feels compelled to say something, but how can she be sure of what she saw? Precisely rendered and filled with sly observations about our off-kilter days, Negative Space is a witty and resonant portrait of a woman caught between the pressures of home and work, parenting and teaching, what’s normal and what isn’t. Writing with an acute sense of dread and delight, Gillian Linden has crafted a stunning debut that examines what we owe the people who depend on us in a fractured and indifferent world.
Liberty Equality Fashion: The Women Who Styled the French Revolution
by Anne HigonnetThree women led a fashion revolution and turned themselves into international style celebrities. Joséphine Bonaparte, future Empress of France; Térézia Tallien, the most beautiful woman in Europe; and Juliette Récamier, muse of intellectuals, had nothing left to lose. After surviving incarceration and forced incestuous marriage during the worst violence of the French Revolution of 1789, they dared sartorial revolt. Together, Joséphine and Térézia shed the underwear cages and massive, rigid garments that women had been obliged to wear for centuries. They slipped into light, mobile dresses, cropped their hair short, wrapped themselves in shawls, and championed the handbag. Juliette made the new style stand for individual liberty. The erotic audacity of these fashion revolutionaries conquered Europe, starting with Napoleon. Everywhere a fashion magazine could reach, women imitated the news coming from Paris. It was the fastest and most total change in clothing history. Two centuries ahead of its time, it was rolled back after only a decade by misogynist rumors of obscene extravagance. New evidence allows the real fashion revolution to be told. This is a story for our time: of a revolution that demanded universal human rights, of self-creation, of women empowering each other, and of transcendent glamor
Muse of Fire: World War I as Seen Through the Lives of the Soldier Poets
by Michael KordaThe First World War comes to harrowing life through the intertwined lives of the soldier poets in Michael Korda’s epic Muse of Fire. Michael Korda, the best-selling author of Hero and Alone, tells the story of the First World War not in any conventional way but through the intertwined lives of the soldier poets who came to describe it best, and indeed to symbolize the war’s tragic arc and lethal fury. His epic narrative begins with Rupert Brooke, “the handsomest young man in England” and perhaps its most famous young poet in the halcyon days of the Edwardian Age, and ends five years later with Wilfred Owen, killed in action at twenty-five, only one week before the armistice. With bitter irony, Owen’s mother received the telegram informing her of his death on November 11, just as church bells tolled to celebrate the war’s end. Korda’s dramatic account, which includes anecdotes from his own family history, not only brings to life the soldier poets but paints an unforgettable picture of life and death in the trenches, and the sacrifice of an entire generation. His cast of characters includes the young American poet Alan Seeger, who was killed in action as a private in the French Foreign Legion; Isaac Rosenberg, whose parents had fled czarist anti-Semitic persecution and who was killed in action at the age of twenty-eight before his fame as a poet and a painter was recognized; Robert Graves and Siegfried Sassoon, whose friendship and friendly rivalry endured through long, complicated private lives; and, finally, Owen, whose fame came only posthumously and whose poetry remains some of the most savage and heartbreaking to emerge from the cataclysmic war. As Korda demonstrates, the poets of the First World War were soldiers, heroes, martyrs, victims, their lives and loves endlessly fascinating—that of Rupert Brooke alone reads like a novel, with his journey to Polynesia in pursuit of a life like Gauguin’s and some of his finest poetry written only a year before his tragic death. Muse of Fire is at once a portrait of their lives and a narrative of a civilization destroying itself, among the rubble, shadows, and the unresolved problems of which we still live, from the revival of brutal trench warfare in Ukraine and in the Middle East.